Prevalence of dental caries among coronavirus disease 2019-recovered patients and correlation with salivary total antioxidant capacity in Kalaburagi region of Indian subpopulation

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has vastly affected mankind worldwide, and its long-term effect on oral health needs to be studied. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of dental caries and its correlation with salivary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in Kalaburagi region of the Indian subpopulation. About 80 subjects (16-55 years) were included in the study based on selection criteria and were divided into two groups ( = 40). Group 1: no history of COVID-19 infection and Group 2: COVID-19-recovered subjects. Each group was subdivided into two subgroups ( = 20) A and B with and without dental caries. Dental caries was assessed using the decay, missing, filled, treatment (DMFT) index by the World Health Organization. About 5 ml of unstimulated saliva samples was collected and centrifuged at 2000 rpm for 10 min, and the supernatants were collected. Salivary TAC was estimated using 2,2'-azino-bis-[3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic] acid assay and observed under spectrophotometer (734 nm). Data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality distribution followed by one-way analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey test ( < 0.05). COVID-19-recovered subjects showed a higher prevalence of dental caries and lower TAC levels than non-COVID-19 subjects. Higher prevalence of dental caries with lower levels of salivary TAC was found in COVID-19-recovered individuals.